Corvo's Diary
by Edison Trent
Summary: Low chaos storyline of Dishonored, novelized as diary entires & in 1st personal persepctive in the eyes of Corvo.
1. Prologue

We're two days ahead of schedule. It's been a pleasure travelling with Geoff. Tomorrow will be the day we return to Dunwall Tower.

I can finally return to the Empress and Emily, but my heart cannot be heavier.

_Corvo, if only there were someone else I trusted to send, so that you can remain near, but there is no one else, and the Spymaster was right to insist that I send you. The plague has taken so many and we must find a cure. When you are near, my heart is at peace. Emily and I will count the days until you return. Hurry home, and bring good news_.

How can I ever tell her that after a total of six months we had nothing but a fruitless journey? Those cowards, if not giving us empty promises, they openly told us that they were going to blockade us. I could see from their eyes – fear, like our city was cursed and we're doomed to be wiped out by the plague. No one knows how it started and suddenly it spread so vast and fast that almost half the city's population was gone (mostly the poorest, and the most helpless ones who need our help the most).

My news will break Jessamine's heart. I just don't know how to tell her we're on our own now. One part of me cannot wait to return, but the other part of me hope this last day of voyage will never end.


	2. Dishonored

This will be my last entry. They gave me a pencil and paper to write my last words.

I've been in Coldridge Prison for months, and I simply have lost count of days. The past few months have been hell to me. Even now as I write, the pain prevents me from holding my pencil steadily.

After returning to Dunwall Tower I proceeded straight to Jessamine at the gazebo with Lady Emily, but then we noticed that all guards nearby were gone. Suddenly sword-wielding figures wearing gas masks and black hoods appeared out of no where and actually _teleported_ to us (I've no idea how they did it. I couldn't be dreaming could I?). They used some kind of magic to hold me in the air, and I could only watch their leader drove his sword into Jessamine and grabbed Emily before all of them left without a trace.

_Corvo… it's all… coming apart. Find… find Emily… protect her… you're the only one… who know what to do…won't you? Corvo…_

It was at this moment the nasty old Spymaster Hiram and High Overseer Campbell came with a dozen of guards and held me responsible for the death of the Empress and abduction of Emily.

The rest was how I am now, and Hiram has become Lord Regent.

I've probably sustained pain more than any prisoner here combined. Each day they dragged me out of my cell to the Interrogation Room to make me 'confess' my crimes, and the 'Royal Torturer' (a mute, and the most hateful creature I've met) would burn me with his searing-hot torture rod, with the two venomous snakes Hiram and Campbell watching me suffer. They told me in secret it was them who masterminded the murder and abduction, and that Dunwall needs a stronger leader.

They say I'm scheduled to be executed tomorrow. They call me a killer, a murderer, a traitor, a disgrace, but if anyone reads this, I'm Corvo Attano, dishonored and wrongly stripped of my title, and will always be the faithful Lord Protector to my fair Empress Jessamine Kaldwin, even in death.


	3. Break from Coldridge Prison

I've never thought I can write this.

I'm at Hound Pits, a bar in a deserted part of the city, borrowed by a group of people still loyal to Jessamine and Emily to be their base. They call themselves Loyalists, led by Admiral Farley Havelock and Lord Treavor Pendleton. Cecelia, Lydia and Wallace are our housekeepers, but the real surprise is they have _Piero Joplin_. Just how did they manage to convince the youngest person ever to graduate from the Academy of Natural Philosophy to join them?

Their goal is to overthrow Hiram and restore the royal line of the Kaldwin. With that, they need me.

A note instructing me how to escape and a key to my cell were slipped under my last meal (if anyone can call it food). Something 'useful' to help me get past the prison gate was put in the interrogation room safe; my old weapons were hidden inside the nearby sewers; someone (Samuel Beechworth, a kind, old boatman used to be a sailor) would pick me up on the other side. I sensed a trap, but I knew I had a better chance on the outside than staying to be headed.

Slipping past the prison guards wasn't much of a challenge to me, even when I wasn't in my shape at all. They're dumb, always talking about women, alcohol and gambling. I stuck to the golden rules: One, walk among the shadows; two, move silently; three, avoid confrontation. Observe enemies' behavior with patience, and act swiftly.

A time explosive device was put in the interrogation room safe for me. That interrogation chair, the blood I lost on it must have stained every part of it. The vengeful spirit inside me awoke and urged me to kill everyone along the way, but I need to point my sword at the true targets. Besides, leaving blood behind would only betray my presence and add complexity to my escape.

The front gate was locked and well-protected by two guards, so I choked them out before activating the explosive device. As soon as the gate was blasted open alarms went all over the prison. During all the commotion I dived into the river below to the other side of the shore, and made a dash into the sewers.

After six bloody months I feel truly alive now. I must admit, it always gives me immense satisfaction leaving the enemies confused how I sneak past all of them without them realizing it.


	4. High Overseer Campbell

I had the strangest dream last night. A being taking the appearance of a man calling himself the Outsider said I would play an important role in deciding the future of Dunwall, and gave me his mark (I suppose the Outsider is a he, though I doubt it) on the back of my left hand. With this I'd be allowed to bend supernatural power to my will.

I've heard other people worshipping the Outsider, saying he was neither good nor evil, and rumors about people summoning a devouring swarm of rats with a wave of their hands. He said how I use his 'gifts' would solely depend on me, same as the many before me. I woke up at this point, and the back of my left hand was tattooed with exactly the same mark.

This morning Havelock and Pendleton gave me my first target: Thaddeus Campbell. The Overseers are a militant faction within the main religion faction of Dunwall: Abbey of the Everyman. A group of lunatics to me, even the City Watch despise them. Following their nonsense 'Seven Structures', these people are sworn to combat those who associate themselves with the Outsider. Campbell carries a journal with him. It should probably contain information about where they took Emily.

And they told me a former Overseer Teague Martin was instrumental in breaking me out of my cell, but was found out and captured. If I had the chance, I should bring him back, alive.

Piero gave me a mask. It's basically two pieces resembling a human skull put together (scary enough), joined by a layer of oxygen-permeable material, so that it can filter out airborne plague but allows me to breathe normally. Before I left, I was approached by a Callista Curnow. I supposed she came before I woke up as I didn't see her last night. Anyway, she is Geoff's niece, and she learnt that Campbell planned to poison him in their meeting, so while I was at it, I might as well do a favor for her.

Samuel dropped me off at the shore near the old Distillery District at dusk. Almost the entire city has been quarantined after the outbreak of the plague. Any area not controlled by the City Watch was gang territories. To 'protect' civilians, Walls of Light have been set up at all main passing points on the streets. Anything unauthorized going past them is burnt to a crisp. I saw what happened to rats running into it and I wasn't stupid enough to try it myself.

The High Overseer's Office is in Holger Square, on the other end of John Clavering Blvd. To get there I needed to get past two Walls of Light and the usual guard patrol – not particularly difficult for someone like me, but still annoying enough. However, with the Outsider's mark, I can now teleport to anywhere within a range in a blink, just like those assassins. This undoubtedly gives me a distinct upper hand in sneaking. All those higher grounds like rooftops, balconies, street lamps and pipes offered me more than enough safe routes to get past guard posts or security systems, and no one bothered to look up checking for intruders.

Martin was in Holger Square, secured in a torture device and questioned by an Overseer about my whereabouts. A little bit of choking did the work. I told Martin about my mission and he informed me they have a Heretic's Brand at the interrogation room for any Overseer committed a great wrong. Not only that, it's also a criminal offense to offer aid or shelter to anyone who bears the Brand. And the best is _th__e punishment applies to even the High Overseer himself_. Now I got a much better fate for Campbell.

The Office building itself wasn't complicated for me to map out my routes. Labeled rooms, long straight corridors, the place was more like government headquarters than a religious compound. Campbell and Geoff were having a rather unpleasant conversation outside the Office meeting room just as I reached there – through an open window, from the ledge outside the building on the second floor. On the meeting room table were a bottle and two wine glasses, filled. No question, the poison must be in one of them, but I didn't know which glass was intended for whom. The time only allowed me to spill both of them before they entered.

'What on… who's been here? I owe you an apology, Curnow. This is hardly the hospitality I planned for you… well, time to do this the _hard_ way.'

'What was that, Campbell?'

'Never mind. It's a stroke of luck for you, Captain. I'm forced to break out the real vintage. Leave the men here, or we'll have to share with all of them.'

'Very well, Campbell. As long as we gets little dispute settled.'

Apparently Campbell wasn't going to give up that easily and led Geoff to his secret chamber in the basement. I Blinked ahead and loaded a sleep dart on my crossbow while waiting for both men to arrive. Just as Campbell slowly drew his sword behind Geoff, I fired the sleep dart at him. The effect was immediate – Campbell fell and was put into a deep sleep, and Geoff was alerted by the sight and ran. Actually, even without Callista's request, I'd never let Geoff die. After all, he's one of the few solid, honest Watch officers I know. He's exactly the kind of Captain the City Watch needs.

With Campbell's journal safely on my belt and its owner on my back, I Blinked to the interrogation room and found the Brand without much difficulty. While the Brand was heated I strapped Campbell on the interrogation chair. This scene was painfully familiar to me, only that this time we switched places. Once the Brand was red-hot, I tilted Campbell's head and stamped the Brand real hard onto his left cheek.

'AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!'

Too late for me to realize the sleep drug isn't designed to withstand pain of this extent. That yell was loud enough for half of the second floor to hear. I was only fast enough to Blink upward onto an overhead beam just as an Overseer entered and saw what I did.

'By the Outsider! Who did this? Sound the alar…'

That Overseer was fortunate enough that I only sleep-darted him – I could have dropped right on top of him for a kill, but no matter. My mission was complete and I must not linger. There were distant shouting and footsteps closing in to my position. I made a break for the door and Blinked to the rendezvous point with Samuel.

Callista couldn't be happier when I told her Geoff is safe. This made me feel all my work is worth it. After all the time since Jessamine passed I smiled for the first time, and that warmth means a lot to me.


	5. House of Pleasure

Martin joined us this morning. Havelock also decoded Campbell's journal, filled with dirty secrets (doesn't surprise me) and the location of Emily. She's hidden at the Golden Cat, a bathhouse, if putting it in a nice way, but it's open secret that it's a brothel. Keeping the future Empress of a 10-year-old at a brothel for six whole months? Sounds like something Custis and Morgan Pendleton could think of. Yes, they're the twin brothers of our own Pendleton, two loyal guests of the Golden Cat, and two parliamentarians in support of Hiram. Eliminating both of them would give the Loyalists the vital votes required to eliminate Hiram.

The Golden Cat is close to Holger Square, so I started off at the same point as yesterday. Every now and then I heard the propaganda broadcaster reminding the citizens that Campbell was branded and thus no longer a citizen of Dunwall. I guess removing him from his office panicked Hiram because security on the streets was significantly heavier today. More guards were on patrol on John Clavering Blvd, even the balconies on the side buildings. I pretty much had to take the side route from Bottle Street, within the territory of crime boss Slackjaw and his no-good Bottle Street Gang (a bunch of gutless thugs who only get their courage from whiskey actually). Sure enough, three of them were mumbling among themselves while patrolling, and I overheard their boss wanted them to spread words that he wanted to meet the one who took down Campbell (that's me) in his base.

Slackjaw's base is in the old Dunwall Whiskey Distillery. After the outbreak of the rat plague it went out of business and was soon occupied by Slackjaw. The Distillery is in small-scale operation, selling whiskey and other spirits. Putting aside that security there could never match that of the City Watch, as I was travelling on those huge steam pipes, many of Slackjaw's men were helping themselves generously on their own merchandise when their boss wasn't looking. Getting spotted here would be simply laughable.

Slackjaw said he had his own way of removing the Pendletons without me even touching them, at the price of a combination to the safe of an art dealer, Bunting, who also frequents the Golden Cat (seriously, are men that perverted?).

Access points to the Golden Cat were plenty, the rooftop, the balconies, the open windows, then of course, the front door (never my style). The first thing I did was to pay a small visit to the current owner Madame Prudence, a hideous old hag wearing makeups that multiplied her ugliness several times. After following her into the Manager's Room I gave her a nice evening nap, took her master key, and read her guest ledger. Turns out this place has a steam-room, smoking room, golden room, silver room (where Bunting was), ivory room and countless private suites. At the thought of this, I felt the Outsider's mark responding to me and in an instant _I could see people through walls_! Up a floor above there was a small figure sitting on the floor, face on its knees.

Emily almost knocked me down as she flung her arms around my neck. At first she had lots to say, but she soon came up with an escape plan – the VIP entrance on the ground floor. I unlocked the door for her and she insisted that she could go to Samuel's boat herself. I'd very much want to accompany her, but this was also a good trial for her. After all, I can't watch over her forever, and this experience is worth months of training I give her.

Back to Bunting in the silver room, he was held in some sort of electrocution device, eyes blinded by a fold. As I closed the door he thought I might be his 'honey' and asked me to electrocute him. This man surely had a twisted taste for pleasure. Since he asked for it I took his instruction seriously and did it _five_ times on him, until he surrendered the safe combination to me. The temptation to rob his safe before giving the code to Slackjaw was overwhelming. I only promised giving him the code, not including the content inside the safe, but in the end I decided not to. I might not be Lord Protector anymore, but it doesn't stop me from being a man of honor, and having one less enemy is always welcomed.

Emily was already with Samuel when I returned. She was only a little more than a child before that day, but now she looks a lot more mature and thinks like an adult. Callista is arranged to be her caretaker and tutor. I'm sure she'll do a good job.

P.S. Almost forgot about the Pendletons. They have their rock mines, hundreds of souls died there several miles deep under the ground. Slackjaw told me he's going to shave their hairs and cut out their tongues and put them to work in one of their own mines. I guess after all this, they'll start to see lives from a different angle. If anybody ever deserves their fates, it would be them.


	6. The Royal Physician

A footnote in Campbell's journal mentions that Hiram's mistress sat for a portrait for Anton Sokolov, Royal Physician and the head of the Academy of Natural Philosophy. The Loyalists need Sokolov to give us her name, as she finances Hiram's military.

Sokolov lives (or I should say lived, now that I already brought him back) on Kaldwin's Bridge. I've been in Dunwall for years but this was my first time to be there, only knowing that it was commissioned by Emperor Kaldwin. The bridge itself is magnificent enough, two high metal towers, tied together at the upper level by two horizontal walkways. It's a shame about the buildings in the area though. Most are abandoned, ruined or run down.

Since the outbreak of the plague a lot of despaired plague carriers committed suicide by jumping off the bridge, so a lockdown was issued and the bridge was heavily guarded. As if the City Watch and Walls of Light weren't enough, they got themselves several of those Arc Pylons. They work similarly to Walls of Light but are for offensive purposes. Any unauthorized objects within its detection radius are electrocuted. In fact, the Arc Pylons and the Walls of Light are both the brainchild of Sokolov, and I was to get past all of them to capture their inventor.

Sokolov's manor is huge and he has his own safehouse at the top. I decided to navigate from top to bottom, which was lucky, because Sokolov was right there, talking to a woman locked in a cage.

'Please, sir! Please let me go!'

'Ah! Awake, I see. How are you feeling?'

'Much much worse. Do I have the plague? Please, sir! I don't want to die!'

'Hush, now. No one's going to die. You've much improved, number 312. The formula I administered to you is working exactly as it should. I cannot let you…'

I heard enough. Obviously, to research into the plague, he deliberately infected healthy citizens. Before Sokolov could finish I wrapped my arms around his neck and choked him as hard as I could. His key on him allowed me to unlock the cage to the woman, but she said she needed a rest before she could go, and I couldn't carry two people at the same time.

Sokolov is a genius, I admit, maybe even smarter than Pieros, but his little consideration for ethics has been irritating me greatly since the first day I know him. The woman told me there were more of his subjects imprisoned behind a Wall of Light in the ruined city section. I made sure to release every single one of them before getting back with Samuel and Sokolov.

I just hope they can all safely find their way home.


	7. Lady Boyle's Last Party

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes this morning was Emily's face over mine (so close that she gave me quite a shock). She decided to read in my quarter while Callista was taking her bath, and I wasn't surprised to find Piero trying to invent his new type of 'snowflake' lock by looking into the key hole to the bathroom. These perverts, I swear.

It didn't take us long to make Sokolov spill his guts (not literally). His so-called 'legendary willpower' of resisting interrogation completely collapsed when I gave him a brand new bottle of King Street Brandy. Sokolov painted Hiram's mistress from behind and he only knew her by 'Lady Boyle'. He was also supposed to be introduced at the masked ball at her estate this night, and I happened to have the best mask in Dunwall.

The Boyle family has three Lady Boyles. Since Sokolov couldn't provide her exact name, it was up to me to find out myself. Pendleton lent me his clothes to help me blend in (there's no way I could get in wearing my hood and robe), but in return he wanted me to deliver a note to a certain Lord Shaw.

The Boyle Mansion is located in the wealthy and opulent Estate District. While fireworks were released constantly into the air high above the mansion, much of the area surrounding it is abandoned, and I thought I could hear people crying inside some of them. Hiram really pulled all the stops for the Boyle family: there were Tallboys – heavily-armored elite guards on spindle-legged armatures – patrolling around the mansion, no doubt keeping party-crashers away. With the invitation Pendleton's contact procured for me I got through the front gate without any trouble.

Lord Shaw was easily recognizable – he wore a wolf mask as Pendleton had said, in the courtyard accompanied by two guards. I was about to leave after giving him the note when he halted me and led me to a wooden box containing two pistols, with one of his guards announcing:

'This contest of honor will take place between this anonymous gentleman acting for the challenger Lord Treavor Pendleton, and Lord Shaw, the challenge party. You'll each turn and proceed to the marked position, and remain facing away from each other as I count down from three. You may then turn and fire…'

'Get on with it. I'll kill this fool and we can all go back inside.'

Pendleton is surely a gutless lying sack of shit if I'm allowed to say, but to say I'm a fool was the most foolish provoke. I proceeded to my standing point, and waited.

'Three… two… one…'

At this moment I distinguished movements behind. Shaw tried to start ahead! If he cheated then I also needed not obey the rules. I summoned all my strength on the Outsider's mark, and Shaw moved no more as if he was frozen – in fact not just him, but the two guards, the fireworks, the wind, _everything. _Time was Stopped! This was a moment too good to miss: I aimed my pistol at Shaw's forehead and fired, just before time resumed. The result was I was still standing, and Shaw got turned into a corpse. I didn't stay and wait for his guards to check the body; I went into the mansion.

Once inside, I was free to take my time, explore the place thoroughly and find my target. Even with my standard, this party was one of the grandest I've been to: vast ballroom, ornate furnishings, gilded walls, elegant music. I too helped myself to some of the food and drinks. They had a game on guessing the identities of the three Boyle sisters. One dressed in red, one in white, and one in black, and the names were Waverly, Esma and Lydia. I was trying to overhear other guests to get hints on my target when someone whispered in my ears.

'I know your mission tonight. We must speak, privately.'

I almost let my mouthful of sparkling wine out. My instinct told me he wasn't an enemy, so I followed.

'I'm a friend of the Pendletons and I've done a few things favored to your cause. I know your purpose here tonight and… how to say this… your target, is the woman I love. I swear that if you bring her to me, _unharmed_, you'll never hear of her again. There's a cellar directly below the kitchen. I'll wait for you there. I'm not proud of this, but surely it's better than seeing her killed. Her name is Esma. I won't harm her, I swear.'

So my target was Esma, but I still didn't know which one was her. The guests looked pretty tight-lipped so that brought me to the second floor, where the three sisters' rooms are. As usual, the grand staircase to the upper floor was guarded (by a Wall of Light!), but I found another one more out of the way, one guard, and no other witnesses to complicate matters. The three rooms of the three sisters share the same layout but their diaries hinted that they all had different personalities – Esma liked men; Waverly was serious and paranoid; Lydia loved music. It didn't take much for me to notice that the white Lady Boyle was especially keen on chatting with male guests – the black Lady Boyle didn't talk at all and the red Lady Boyle mostly stayed in the music room.

Bless that Esma when I told her she was going to be assassinated, she thought I was playing a kidnapping game with her and was thrilled. After we went down to the cellar I choked her and brought her to that man, who said someday Esma would _learn to appreciate him_ before they left by boat. That sounded so fishy to me. Still, I was done there. While the party was ongoing and everyone still enjoying themselves, I left without anyone noticing, not before signing the guest ledger at the main entrance.

I really want to see the look on Hiram's face after he learns his mistress missing and my name showing up on the guest ledger.

P.S. Emily's drawing of me sleeping without wearing the mask is hilarious, but the big word 'Daddy' on it is worth more than all the silver in Dunwall combined.


	8. Return to the Tower

Hiram and his reign were over.

He lost support from the Overseers, the parliament, the financial support of the Boyle family and Sokolov's technology. Everything was in place to strike him, deep within Dunwall Tower.

Samuel took me near to the hydraulic waterlock under the cover of the night, just like how I and Geoff returned here after our expedition, and I had to Blink all the way up to reach the Tower ground. Last time I was here, it was the horrible day when everything started, and it was time I went back there to end it.

Hiram's paranoid had reached its highest point. Dunwall Tower has been virtually converted to a stronghold that I almost didn't recognize it. The whole outer Tower area is almost completely covered in a metallic encasing; Walls of Light and Arc Pylons are installed; guard stations are set up; floodlights were everywhere; even a watchtower is erected. These things are stationary but they revolve and swivel around and can survey a wide area with their two floodlights on top. Any detected hostile will be targeted by extremely deadly incendiary bolts. All the floodlights made Shadows and hiding points very limited, and combined with the City Watch guards and the two Tallboys patrolling the ground, the challenge was more than enough to keep the hair on my back standing all the while I sneaked past them bit by bit.

However, as the ex-Lord Protector there are some secret passages into the Tower that I know but probably not for Hiram. Seizing a brief moment of blind spot in the enemy's security I Blinked to the ledge that rims the Tower directly above the main door, and just around the corner is a small ventilation shaft leading straight into the foyer inside.

'Your report, General Tobias?'

'Everything is secure on the ground.'

Two guards were talking into some kind of screen on the wall, but I could vaguely see the outline of a man's head in it, so I activated the zoom function on my mask for a better view.

Hiram.

'It won't hurt to check again. I'm going to head down and retire to my bedroom.'

'Begging your pardon sir, but I think it would be best if you stay in your safe room on the roof for now.'

'I need the comfort of my own bed tonight. I trust you and your men can handle the tower security. Double the guard if you have to. Come see me before you finish your rounds.'

'Yes, as your wish, Lord Regent.'

This coward even built himself a safe room and a communication system so that he could talk to his men while residing there. I resisted going for him first – my position was close to the broadcast control station, where all the propaganda broadcasts are made. It was a good time to have a chat with the propaganda officer to make him stop spreading lies for Hiram.

The man said he was threatened to say against his conscious, but he knew Hiram had an audio recording containing incriminating evidence, kept in the safe in Jessamine's room, now used by Hiram as his own. He even once got a glimpse on the combination.

A guard was standing guard outside Jessamine's room, but it has a balcony overlooking the foyer, where I Blinked to. Hiram was inside talking to someone – the 'Corvo Attano' on the Boyle party guest ledger was finally discovered. Although Hiram dismissed the informer by calling it a cheap mischief, I could hear the panic in his voice. I knew I had to act fast before he did anything that could stop me. As soon as time was Stopped, I ran to the safe and started tuning the knots as fast as I could. In order to make the incrimination work I could not leave any trace of me being here so I could not knock out Hiram, and the clock was ticking. Once all knots were showing the correct numbers, I seized the safe door open and grabbed the audio file. I was shutting the safe when time resumed, and for one horrible moment I thought I saw Hiram turning around to my position. Without thinking I Blinked towards the balcony and hid behind a cover.

'Someone there? Who's there?'

It was only a matter of time for Hiram to notice his safe opened. I Blinked consecutively towards the broadcast station. The propaganda officer was already gone. I thrust the recording into the amplifier.

'If I explain, then you will see, I am not at fault. My Poverty Eradication Plan was meant to bring prosperity to the city. To rid us of those scoundrels who waste their days in filch and drink, without homes or occupations other than to beg for the coin for which the rest of us toil, and it was a simple plan – bring the disease bearing rats from the Pandyssian Continent – and let them take care of the poor for us…'

The broadcast continued but I didn't listen to the rest – blood was boiling all over my body that if Hiram was in front of me I'd have snapped his neck. Apparently the rats then bred so fast that soon the rich and poor all were falling sick, and fearing that the truth would come out eventually Hiram decided to be rid of Jessamine and took power himself. As I descended the broadcast station the whole place was in an uproar. I didn't bother to stay and watch – I went straight back to Samuel. Hiram will be taken down by the very same apparatus that gives him life to begin with: laws, courtrooms, and the mighty swell of public outrage. If his head won't roll for what he's done, a lifelong imprisonment at Coldridge will surely wait for him.

The Loyalists prepared a small party for me when I returned, but I've been feeling dizzy after drinking that wine Pendleton gave me. Must get some sleep. Tomorrow is the big day. Emily will be crowned and my name will be cleared.


	9. The Flooded District & The Loyalists

I thought I could redeem myself.

I thought I trusted the correct people.

I was wrong. Instead, I was played the fool.

Before I could walk to my bed I lost my consciousness and collapsed on the floor. Turned out that wine was poisoned (likely Tyvian stuff), and I faintly heard Havelock, Pendleton and Martin saying turning me in so that they could be the heroes of killing me as well as saving Emily. Samuel then whispered in my ear that he only gave me half the poison, and hoped I could wake up at a better place other than this cursed city.

I didn't know how long I was out after that, but when I could finally open my eyes I was locked in a pit, along with a rat. All my gears including my mask were not with me. I got a strange feeling that the rat was trying to talk to me (pitying me maybe?), and I felt the Outsider's mark glowing. My whole body then disappeared and I saw things through the eyes of the rat – I Possessed it. With me becoming that small I could squeeze into the sewer at the bottom, which brought me outside. The sight in front of me was a bleak district where the street below was filled with murky green water. I'd never been here before, but I instantly knew I was in the Flooded District, or Rudshore Financial District it was once known as. Years ago it was one of the most prosperous areas in Dunwall, but when the water barrier broke and flooded everything, all civilians were evacuated and Rudshore was closed off from the rest of Dunwall.

The rat died upon me leaving its body. The way I see it, it sacrificed itself to save me. To me, it was much nobler than those so-called Loyalists. Even being betrayed by Hiram and Campbell didn't feel this bad. To think how I used to trust Havelock, Pendleton and Martin, I felt like the stupidest and most naïve fellow in the whole world. I feared what might happen to Samuel after they found out what he did, and I must find Emily. With that in mind, I began to find my way back to the Hound Pits.

Propaganda broadcasts stopped following Hiram's downfall, but before that they frequently mentioned that the City Watch would help plagued citizens by bringing them to this place, and what I saw on rooftops were crowds of them, blood dripping from their eyes, mindlessly wandering around, moaning (now I know what that crying I heard in buildings around the Boyle Mansion was) and scrapping anything they regarded as food, even rats, into their mouths like zombies. What awaited them was never proper treatment; they were dumped here like garbage and left to die. A train on overhead railway came every few minutes, each time pouring hundreds of bodies of plague victims into this mass grave, or 'deportation zone' as I figured the City Watch would probably call it.

Among those still walking was a bald one wearing red coat. The burnt skin taking the shape of the Heretic's Brand on his left cheek was visible to me even at this distance. I know who it was. He was the only plague victim I didn't, and will never feel sorry for.

I soon found I wasn't the sole sentient soul here. Near the Chamber of Commerce teleporting here and there were hooded figures – those who assisted the assassination on Jessamine, and I overheard their leader Daud planned to deliver me to the new Lord Regent for the bounty on my head.

Daud was in the central room making an audiograph when I reached outside.

'…so you've lost it all. Ruined at last, Lord Regent, Royal Spymaster, Hiram Burrows. You small, worried man. You'll never know how many times I've thought about trying to get close to you again, just to put a piece of sharp metal in your eye. How many people did I kill for you? None like the last. None like her. I'd give back all the coin if I could. No one should have to kill an Empress.'

The scene Jessamine being stabbed flashed before me as the two voices of vengeance and mercy battled fiercely in my head. Daud expressed regret, but Jessamine's blood is on his hands. Regardless of how much pressure she faced from nobles and Hiram, she always stayed strong and did her best to help every single citizen she could, but Daud, he took her life, ignoring all her plead for mercy, and killed her mercilessly like killing a lowly bug.

So far, no matter how I despised my targets, no matter how I wanted them to be dead, I chose to hold back instead of striking, clinging onto the little humanity I had. Yet this time, this only time, I broke my rule – after Blinking to Daud's back I broke his neck. As his lifeless body slumped to the ground I heard his assassins saying they couldn't teleport anymore (perhaps they drew this ability from Daud). Even though I had no weapons and still weak from the poison, with me having the Outsider's power, they wouldn't be the match of me anymore. In the end, I chose to leave them be. At least, without Daud's power, they won't be able to use it for evil purposes anymore.

Besides, Jessamine wouldn't have wanted me to massacre people because of her.

What was left between me and Hound Pits afterward were only a wasteland and the Old Port District, and soon I returned to the place I used to call home, surrounded by Tallboys and City Watch guards. Cecelia, Callista, Piero and Sokolov were hiding from them in an abandoned apartment, a street across from the bar. They told me Lydia and Wallace were shot by Havelock, who took Emily and departed with Pendleton and Martin. Samuel put me in a boat adrift after I was poisoned and fled, but would return each night in case I come back.

I realized that those three snakes wouldn't have put me through this if they didn't have something serious planned, so I decided to return to the bar to look for clues. Stop Time and Blink were all I needed to sneak in through the back door. A note was on the bar table.

_Captain Manning, we've tracked the Loyalists to the Hound Pits. Search the premises for any traitors including the natural philosopher Piero Joplin and Anton Sokolov. Once you find them, execute them all. They may be two of the greatest minds of our age, but they're also traitors who conspired with Corvo to bring down this Empire. I'm keeping Empress Emily Kaldwin with me at the Lighthouse on Kingsparrow Island until we're certain that Corvo and his fellow conspirators have been properly dealt with._

_-Lord Regent Havelock_

Havelock and Pendleton might have organized the Loyalists for good intentions at first, but then I guess no one is prepared for the sheer seduction when they are so close to real power. All his talk of being a noble military man, but Havelock will only use Emily like a puppet to his own advantages, and dispose of anyone outlived their usefulness.

I've had enough being betrayed. Tonight I'll sail with Samuel one last time. Farley Havelock, Treavor Pendleton, Teague Marin, they are going to wish they have never lived.

The time for forgiveness has passed.


	10. The Light at the End

Samuel drove me to Kingsparrow Island, a barren, desolate island off the coast of Dunwall in the middle of the night.

We didn't talk much; we didn't need to. Peace was with us. Having seen and been through everything, we both knew we could trust each other.

_Good luck, Corvo. If anyone deserves it, you do._

Samuel risked his life to save me, and I was there to reward his faith in me.

The island is divided between a fortress and a lighthouse. The fortress has been here since hundreds of years ago after the Morley Insurrection. The Empire is comprised of four large islands – Tyvia (to the northwest, and the origin of that poison Pendleton put in my wine), Morley (to the north), Gristol (the centre, also the heart of the Empire and where Dunwall is) and Serkonos (to the south). Though Morley is now a part of the Empire, centuries ago it wasn't, hence upon joining the Empire there was a violent uprising, and the result was the construction of this fortress. As for the lighthouse, Samuel told me it was one of the last great projects of Hiram's reign. Along with the construction of the lighthouse the fortress was naturally reinforced as well.

The only surprise for me was that there were no Tallboys. Walls of Light, Arc Pylons, floodlights and the watchtower were almost standard security devices. I scouted the area with my special vision. There are two battle platforms, each offering an entrance into the inner area but are both guarded by Walls of Light and traditional metal gates after them. Dealing with them was simple enough – I Possessed a City Watch guard and with him I could safely cross the invisible force field, and while he didn't have a clue what happened to him as I left his body, I Blinked on top of the metal gate and jumped down to the courtyard.

From here I could see the entrance to the central stairwell, where the cable bridge at the top connects to the lighthouse. Patrols here were very heavy – in front of that entrance, around the courtyard, and on the battlements. My Dark Vision allowed me to check all corners for guards before proceeding. For a person like me who tries not to use the front entrance, alternative routes always exist, and I soon found sufficient high grounds and ledges that gave me one route all the way up to the cable bridge. An Arc Pylon and three guards were stationed there, but I chose to travel on top of the bridge to the other side. Seriously, security was way higher in Dunwall Tower, and I went in AND out of that place.

The door to the lighthouse elevator was locked, not for the emergency exit in the ceiling though.

The lighthouse seems to be completely made out of metal as I observed while travelling up. At the top is a large, glass penthouse. Even I couldn't help but be amazed by that Hiram could build this whole thing in such a short period of time. I Blinked to the penthouse roof and entered through the backdoor. Inside was what looked like to be a planning room, with a planning table in the center and a map of Dunwall on it. Havelock, Pendleton and Martin were here as I expected, but something didn't seem right: Pendleton and Martin were on their seats near the table, heads down. Two unfinished glasses of alcohol were laid in front of them. Havelock didn't look surprised by this a bit as he murmured to himself.

'… remember when this was just a dream shared by a few angry, desperate men in the back room of a bar? Lord Treavor Pendleton, the neglected youngest son, bullied by your brothers. Martin, such a clever man, his talents wasted until he found his "faith". This is all Martin's fault. If we hadn't helped Corvo get out of prison. If Corvo hadn't been so damn good at his job, we wouldn't have gotten greedy. I showed the world what mattered, will and vision, and not being afraid of getting dirty. It will make a good story for the histories. I'll have a good epitaph: "In his time, he commanded a noble Lord, a High Overseer and an Empress. The man who brought down a tyrant".'

I wonder what was in Pendleton's and Martin's minds the few moments before their lives ended. They betrayed me, and then were betrayed by their very brethren using most likely the same poison they used on me. Unfortunate for them to have no one to give them half the poison though. I decided to thank Havelock for saving me the efforts of killing them by presenting myself in front of him.

'Corvo? Somehow I know you didn't die. After all, you've never failed to impress me.'

He made a gesture to a key on the stand next to him.

'This is yours. The key to Emily's cell over there. She'll be glad to see you. She asked about you constantly, where you were, what you'd been doing. I told her everything. From the start, when we had such noble goals in mind, to the end, when we were afraid, fighting in secrecy about who we could trust and who we had to kill, and she listened, eyes wide. She's become an interesting girl. If she lives, she'll make a memorable Empress.'

The way he talked was like his betrayal never happened. I was in no mood of chatting with him, so I just listened.

'Go ahead. Kill me or take me to Coldrige. Make your choice. She'll be watching.'

Emily's safety came first. On top of that, I didn't want her to see my hands stained with blood, so I reached for the key. As soon as I had my back towards Havelock, I heard the sound of sword unsheathing. Campbell tried this on Geoff; Shaw tried this on me; now, Havelock.

I never let the same trick be used on me twice, not even once. Calling himself a military man, he was worse than Daud.

Havelock was fast, but I reacted even faster. His sword never met my flesh – I intercepted it by grabbing his forearm, and I exerted force into my grip, bit by bit, until we both heard the bones inside cracked. Before he could react, I snatched his pistol hung on his chest. Staring into his eyes, I held it against his chin, at point-blank range. He looked utterly stunned. I wonder, was that because he didn't think he could be beaten that easily? Because he lost to someone unarmed? Because he was afraid of death? I never know, and I never care.

I pulled the trigger. His head flew off from his body.

It was over. Lydia and Wallace were also avenged.

There was no time for me to clean the blood on me. That gunshot alerted nearby guards. I immediately unlocked the door to Emily's room. She was a bit taken aback by my presence (and perhaps the blood), but she quickly comprehended what happened. As the guards came she ordered everyone to stand down and let us go. There was such an authority in Emily's tone that she made all the guards obey her. I only wish Jessamine could be there to see it. Her daughter has finally become an Empress.

It turned out Samuel didn't leave the island; certain that I could safely bring Emily back he stayed, so that he could sail me and Emily back to Dunwall. When asked what he would do after all this is settled, he said he was interested in reopening Hound Pits. I know that deep down he wants to sail again.

All I can say is it's been a pleasure being his passenger.

We will see each other again, Samuel. We surely will.


	11. The End

The interregnum is finally over.

After a season of turmoil, Emily Kaldwin the First ascended to the throne today. Almost all nobles in Gristol attended the ceremony. I was honored to stand at the side of my new Empress, giving her advice whenever necessary.

The life of an Empress is tricky, full of responsibility and peril. It's not Emily's choice to be the daughter of an Empress. At her age, she has much still to learn, and she acknowledges it as well, but I'm certain she'll rise to the challenge, as long as she stay good-hearted.

The names of every Loyalist still alive are cleared. Piero and Sokolov have decided to work together at the Academy from now on. According to them, the formula of an effective cure cheap enough for mass production is almost complete. The season of rats and plague will soon be nothing more than a passing shadow on Emily's early memories.

Callista has officially become Emily's caretaker. She is the closest one to be the mother figure to our young Empress, who needs a female role model to learn from.

A large-scale resettle plan is announced. Abandoned districts are to be sterilized, cleared and rebuilt. It's going to take decades, but there are always good people willing to help Dunwall pull itself up. Without long, the Hound Pits may be operable again. Cecelia has expressed interest in becoming the owner and manager of the bar, just like Samuel. He is accepted to be a sailor in the Navy for the time being, but I guess after his retirement he will join Cecelia. I can't wait to see the day cheers and laughter can be heard at Hound Pits.

As for me, I'll continue to be Royal Protector, guiding Emily, and protecting her from those who seek to exploit her or cause her harm, even decades later when my hair turns white, until the day I pass from this world.

Because she's more to me than Empress.


End file.
